WILMINGTON — Some bus benches recently placed at Wave Transit stops by a local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America were removed Thursday by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
NCDOT spokesperson Veronica Scott said the agency cleared “approximately 20” benches on Aug. 6. She did not answer how much it cost DOT to remove them all.
“We were recently made aware of new bus benches placed on the state right-of-way,” Scott said. “Because these benches are not in compliance with the NCDOT Bus Shelter & Bus Stop Guidelines and are a safety hazard and liability for the state, they are being removed from state property.”
READ MORE: Democratic Socialists’ bus benches remain, city mum on next steps
Wave Transit’s Executive Director Mark Hairr broke down in an email to the county last month that of the 30 placed by DSA, around 24 were on state-owned roadways. The other six are in city-owned rights-of-way; the city has yet to decide what it’s doing with the benches, according to a spokesperson.
Wave previously told Port City Daily it does not have the authority to remove the benches, since they’re located on state- and city-maintained properties; last month, there was confusion over who would remove them, if at all. Port City Daily first reached out to the state agency on July 28 about possible paths forward, but at the time Scott said NCDOT had to do a review before determining next steps.
The DSA began placing benches, without permission from any government agency, in April 2025 to address a deficit of bus amenities in the city. Wave previously informed Port City Daily, out of its 400-plus bus stops, 98 currently have amenities, 62 have benches and 36 have both a bench and shelter.
The group took on the project as a “mutual aid” benefit for residents to “improve city transit and the lives of working class Wilmington residents by making their commute easier,” according to a statement. The benches included messages like “You are my sunshine” and “Fruits of community labor,” to “No rent for slum lords” and “We must have mass social housing.” They were in place 15 months before complaints began filtering to area governments regarding the messages.
Since gaining media attention, the benches have stirred more controversy, including from the Proud Boys. The far-right nationalist group announced July 31 on Telegram it would repaint all the benches DSA had installed, and posted a video of one being primed and redone.
“The city isn’t acting so we will,” the group wrote. “We will not tolerate socialist billboards in our town.”
Over the weekend, county commissioner and North Carolina House of Representatives candidate Dane Scalise took to social media, announcing he reached out to NCDOT on July 31. He wanted the department to grant the county authority to remove the benches.
Wave is funded in part by the county; for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, it provided $1.2 million of Wave’s budget. $1.9 million came from the city and the rest, roughly $15 million, is funded through grants, bus fares and other agencies and organizations, including the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
“In no way am I suggesting that we don’t need more benches; we do need more benches, but I want benches that are safe and compliant and don’t have political propaganda on them, and I don’t want it coming from any organization,” Scalise told Port City Daily Thursday.
General Statute 132-36 says partisan messaging and signage in public rights-of-way is prohibited outside of election season.
Scalise chided both groups in his social media post, calling out “lawlessness” and “vigilantism” as unacceptable.
He told Port City Daily Thursday: “If this was really about benches, they wouldn’t have political propaganda on them.”
Scalise added he received multiple complaints regarding the benches. In an email on Aug. 5, a constituent, Nicola Redia, wrote to all county commissioners:
“New Hanover County did absolutely nothing about the benches while they belonged to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) — he [Dane Scalise] only stepped in once a right-wing group spray-painted them. The irony of his sudden urgency is the core of the local criticism.”
Scalise responded: “I oppose both the DSA and the Proud Boys putting political propaganda on public streets and roads. Indeed, I have been working for some time to try to resolve this issue prior to the Proud Boys’ involvement but have thus far been unsuccessful because neither Wave nor the County has independent authority to remove the benches from public right of ways (that power lies with the City and the NCDOT).”
On Thursday, Scalise confirmed he had not heard from NCDOT about his request.
For the benches to remain, Scott explained state policy would require an encroachment agreement with the city or Wave on behalf of the DSA. NCDOT’s policy only allows an agreement with local governments or transit authorities.
A city representative told Port City Daily on July 29 it was not in touch with NCDOT because the city “cannot obtain an encroachment agreement on behalf of a private citizen or group. DSA will have to contact NCDOT.”
Several of the city’s council members spoke to Port City Daily about their interest in continuing dialogue with the DSA and finding a way to make the benches in the city rights-of-way compliant.
Council members Cassidy Santaguida and Salette Andrews — the latter of whom is a member of the Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority overseeing Wave — specifically hoped for a donation program to come to fruition. The idea was first pitched by Andrews to Hairr in an email exchange on July 14, as previously reported by Port City Daily.
“In terms of the benches that are in city rights-of-way, I think there is an opportunity for the city to work with DSA, and frankly, any other organization that is interested in providing amenities at bus stops, to do that in a way that’s compliant with city, state and federal regulations,” Santaguida told Port City Daily last week.
She added city staff are working on a proposal now.
“WAVE has already secured federal funding that will add new shelters and benches at dozens of stops, and I’d like to build on that momentum by pursuing additional grants, encouraging community partnerships, and identifying other funding opportunities,” Andrews wrote in an email to Port City Daily. “My goal isn’t simply to resolve today’s issue: it’s to create a sustainable, equitable approach that expands safe, accessible transit amenities throughout our community.”
In a July 24 email sent to council and Mayor Bill Saffo, councilmember Chakema Clinton-Quintana explained she and Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Spears also met with the DSA.
“Based on the feedback they have received, DSA-ILM believes the benches are currently within ADA guidelines,” Clinton-Quintana wrote to city officials. “They have also agreed the benches will not contain political speech or commentary. The only identifying information displayed will be a small ‘Donated by DSA-ILM’ marking. The organization is entirely self-funded through member dues and donations.”
However, Scalise said he would not be in favor of this approach.
“Let me make something very clear: I will do everything I can to ensure that New Hanover County plays no role in this apparent partnership with the DSA,” Scalise wrote on social media, stating he also believed “in law and order.”
In his email to Redia, Scalise added his priority is keeping the “community safe and from potential escalations that could lead to violence.”
DSA did not respond to Port City Daily about the bench removals Thursday; however, after press the group posted a statement on its socials addressing DOT actions and Scalise. They denied the benches are an advertisement for the Democratic Socialist political party but rather a product of an active movement, adding messages that appear on some of the benches come from community members who help paint and build them. DSA has asserted from day one it’s a community grassroots group centered on empowering Wilmingtonians by sharing resources without seeking profit — in this case helping Wave transit riders who need a place to sit.
“We acted because we want to highlight the contradiction between what people can do with small resources and what hasn’t been done by those with ample resources,” DSA’s statement indicated (per PCD’s previous reporting, it costs Wave $5,000 for a bus stop bench and $20,000 for a complete shelter to be built at a bus stop, while DSA’s wooden benches were $200 in total, built by utilizing reclaimed scrap wood and leftover paint). “This city and county have the money and resources for improvements. The state of public transit in Wilmington and New Hanover County is not set in stone. It comes from policy decisions made by our elected leaders and carried out by staff. That means it can be changed. Anyone who is telling you otherwise, or telling you they are helpless and that you just need to vote more, is lying to you.”
The group also called out Scalise for not putting forth alternative solutions and believed he should no longer represent the people, either by resigning or being voted out.
“Holding up the actions of a small group of fascists as a justification is only punishing the people of Wilmington for an isolated minority,” DSA wrote, referring to the Proud Boys’ “defacement” of one of its benches. “We want to be clear: these people are not concerned with public safety; they are concerned with denying a service to the community because they’re scared of the theory it is born out of. They are scared of a world where everyone has their needs met, because that is a world where they have no power.”
According to Scott, the benches are relocated to the New Hanover County Maintenance Yard and can be picked up by the DSA within 30 days.
As for the city, a spokesperson said Thursday it is “still working with WAVE and DSA at this time and has not made any decisions to remove the benches.”
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